1. Technical Field
Aspects of the present invention relate to an image processing apparatus which is configured to scan an image formed on an original sheet and/or to scan an image on a recording sheet.
2. Related Art
Recently, the image processing apparatus as described above is generally required to be downsized. For this purpose, various changes have been made. For example, a facsimile apparatus which usually has an original scanning unit and image formation unit may be configured such that the image scanning unit is arranged above the image formation, and the original sheets scanned by the image scanning unit, and the recording sheets on which images are formed by the image formation unit are fed in the same direction. With such a configuration, the image processing apparatus can be downsized. An example of such an image processing apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI 7-95344.
In a facsimile apparatus configured as above (i.e., the image scanning unit is arranged above the image forming unit, it is necessary that the original sheet scanned by the scanning unit are guided to be discharged without being interfered by the image forming unit. In particular, when a foil sheet (i.e., a rolled thermo-sensitive sheet) is used as the recording sheet, the facsimile apparatus is typically provided with a cutting device on a downstream side of the image forming unit for cutting out image-formed portions of the recording sheet.
Since the cutting device is provided, a cover member for guiding the original sheet to be discharged and for protecting the cutting device is typically provided so as to cover the image forming unit and the cutting device.
In the facsimile apparatus, which is configured such that the cover member covers the image forming unit, when a jam of the recording sheet occurs, it is difficult to remove the jammed portion of the recording sheet from the facsimile apparatus due to the configuration of the cover member that covers the image forming unit.
If the facsimile apparatus is configured such that the image scanning unit is not arranged above the image forming unit, and if the image forming unit is exposed to outside when a cover of a main body of the facsimile apparatus is opened, the jammed sheet can be removed immediately simply by opening the cover member of the main body.
However, if the facsimile apparatus is configured as described above, i.e., the image forming unit is arranged below the image scanning unit, and the cover member is provided to cover the image forming unit, when the cover member of the main body is opened, the image forming unit cannot be viewed from outside, and only the image scanning unit is viewed from outside. Therefore, it is impossible for a user to directly touch the image forming unit or to indirectly touch the same using some tool.
If a jam of the recording sheet occurs in such a facsimile apparatus, what the user can do is to rewind the roll sheet to feed the sheet in a direction opposite to the feeding direction. It is almost impossible to remove the jam condition only by such an operation. In a worse case, while rewinding or pulling the recording sheet, it may be broken and retained inside the image forming unit. In such a case, the user cannot handle the jammed condition, and the user needs to ask a manufacturer or the like to fix the jammed condition.